Coca-Cola Craven Week (U18) Results

The 2011 edition of the Coca-Cola Craven Week for high schools (Under 18) is currently taking place in Kimberley.

Check here daily for all the results.

Day 1:

Leopards 19 (7) vs Namibia 40 (18)

Eastern Province CD 15 (0) vs Valke 42 (14)

Blue Bulls 50 (22) vs Boland 15 (10)

Free State Cheetahs 56 (24) vs Pumas 32 (15)

Griquas 19 (3) vs SWD 23 (8)

A good win for Namibia over the Leopards, and as expected big wins for the Blue Bulls, and the FS Cheetahs.

SWD managed a win in a tight game over the more fancied Griquas side.

Day 2:

Zimbabwe 68 (28) vs Border CD 3 (0)

Griffons 22 (3) vs Limpopo 16 (3)

Golden Lions 39 (15) vs Eastern Province 13 (6)

Western Province 21 (7) vs Kwazulu-Natal 23 (5)

A big victory for Zimbabwe albeit against Border CD, but possibly an indication that the grassroots structures needed to put Zibabwe Rugby back on the map are now in place and starting to show dividends.

A good win for the Golden Lions against the EP, as well as for KZN in a tight match against WP.

Day 3:

Valke 39 (14) vs SWD 23 (9)

Pumas 51 (36) vs Boland 26 (19)

Griquas 53 (3) vs Namibia 3 (3)

Eastern Province CD 40 (3) vs Leopards 17 (3)

Free State 14 (3) vs Blue Bulls 11 (8)

Some big victories in the earlier games, but the highlight was undoubtedly the final game of the day between the Free State and the Blue Bulls.

Despite copious amounts of possession, the Blue Bulls failed to crack open the dogged Free State defence, and with just a couple of minutes left on the clock a breakaway try put the boys from Bloem in the lead.

The Blue Bulls had a chance to level the scores after the final hooter, but flyhalf Faf Tredoux saw his long range effort sail left of the posts, so handing the baby Cheetahs the win.

Day 4:

Griquas CD 33 (14) vs Border CD 16 (7)

Limpopo 81 (34) vs Zimbabwe 7 (0)

Eastern Province 16 (13) vs Griffons 31 (17)

Border 26 (0) vs Western Province 42 (34)

Golden Lions 19 (16) vs KwaZulu Natal 18 (5)

Again some high scoring, somewhat one-sided games that make one wonder if the smaller unions are going the same way at Schools level as at Senior level when compared to the “big” unions.

In the final game of the day the KZN youngsters appeared to have grabbed the game away from the Golden Lions in a thrilling game, but a determined surge by the JHB youngsters resulted in them winning a long range penalty after the final hooter.

Jaco van der Walt calmly slotted the kick giving the Lions the win by a single point.

This hard fought victory has afforded the Golden Lions the opportunity to fact eh Free State team in the “flagship” final game of the tournament.

It’s the fifth consecutive time that Free State will contest the unofficial “final”, once again showing that the development of young talent in the Free State is indeed very healthy.

With both sides having proved their defensive abilities in tough games this week, it should be a hard fought, tight game.

The Blue Bulls – Free State game was damned exciting and could have gone either way.

Bulls could have and should have won at a canter, with more than 60% possession. Many errors at the final moments of moves though.

3

@ Scrumdown,

Cheetahs have it as an artform to win matches with little possession. Years of practise! lol. Must say, the players at Craven Week get bigger and bigger every year, but somehow get smaller by the time the U20 Bokke team gets selected?